So Nice To Meet You
by halicandropss
Summary: "Death ends a life, not a relationship." 8x16 TVD finale with my OC Willow Anderson. Stefan/OC
1. Chapter 1

_**So Nice to Meet You**_

* * *

Willow should have known. She should have known that Stefan would sacrifice himself for Mystic Falls.

For Damon.

For her.

Would he really be Stefan Salvatore if he wasn't the hero?

All to take down the woman that has been causing chaos in their lives for god knows how long. And Willow wasn't all that surprised that Katherine Pierce was the literal Queen of Hell.

So that was how Willow found herself back at her old high school, where Stefan had told her over the phone that he had found a still comatose Elena, but that she could not leave due to a spell that Kai had cast. It was foolish of her to even think that Stefan would still be here, knowing that his brother was willing to die to save Elena and Mystic Falls, but Willow was feeling desperate and refused to believe that Stefan had died.

The memories came flooding back to her immediately as she walked down the dark corridors of her old school. It was like seeing a snapshot of her life; all the times she and Elena had argued over something petty, all the times she had kissed Tyler when she thought that there would be nobody else but him...

...the first time that she met Stefan.

Willow swallowed the lump in her throat at the memory, feeling her mouth dry up and throat constrict as she tried to fight back tears. She would never have imagined that this is where their story would take them. It was difficult for to even think of a life without him; he had become such a vital and pivotal part of her life that even imagining carrying on her life without him broke her heart.

And that was why Willow was so surprised to round the corner where she had met Stefan, and bump into someone's chest. Willow gasped and stumbled back slightly, but felt someone grasp one of her hands, pulling her back towards them.

"Willow..." He uttered her name like it was the last time he'd ever get to say it.

Willow's eyes widened and relief took over her. "Stefan," She breathed, tears escaping her eyes as Stefan brought the hand he was holding to his chest. Willow was so unbelievably happy to see him standing before her, very much not dead. Laughter filled the room, and Stefan thought that it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. He felt his own eyes begin to burn with the onset of tears.

Stefan didn't know how to tell her, to break her heart into a million pieces. He knew how it felt to lose someone; to lose her. It destroyed him, to the point that he didn't see any happiness in the world without her. He just wanted to remember her like this; smiling, laughing, being happy.

 ** _He just wanted to be with her._**

Without another word, Stefan pulled her into a tight embrace, one that knocked the air out of Willow's lungs but she didn't care, and simply returned the hug. She held onto him like he was her lifeline, burying her head into his shoulder. Stefan sighed heavily into the crook of her neck, nuzzling his face deeper into her hair. He wanted to stay like this with her forever.

Willow squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will away the tears before pulling her head back slightly, grasping his face in her hands. "Are you okay? Did the plan work? Is Katherine dead? Is Elena gonna be okay?" Stefan couldn't help himself, but he laughed at the way she was firing off the questions. Willow rolled her dark brown eyes good naturedly at him as he chuckled at her, though she could still see unshed tears in his eyes. "Stefan!" She whined playfully.

Stefan nodded his head, smiling down at her, tightening his grip around her waist. "Yeah... yeah, it worked. Katherine's dead, Elena's fine. Everything is gonna be okay."

Willow laughed again, this one loud and joyous, before bringing her lips to his. Stefan recuperated the kiss immediately, the two kissing like they had never kissed before. Willow's hands moved to the back of his head, threading her fingers through his hair. A sigh escaped Stefan, and Willow smiled into the kiss as Stefan tilted his head slightly to deepen the kiss, opening his mouth slightly.

Stefan knew that he could be with her like this forever, he _wanted_ to be here with her forever. It was cruel really. He was human now, he could have a happy life with her. Stefan imagined it; travelling the world together, being there with her through all her ambitions and achievements, arguing with her over who was going to drive, marrying her, having children with her...

He saw it all in front of him like a film; what could have been.

But he knew that it never could be. Not anymore.

Stefan couldn't stop the tears this time, they fell down his cheeks heavily. Willow frowned into the kiss, pulling away gentle to see what was wrong. Willow's mouth fell open slightly to see Stefan crying before her. She swallowed, "Stefan? Stefan, what's wrong?"

Stefan took a deep breath, his forest green eyes looking into her chocolate brown ones, "Willow, we need to talk."

Willow could feel anxiety begin to settle over her. "Stefan..."

Willow could see more tears brimming in his green eyes, "I need to tell you something."

"What? What's happened?" A million horrible things surged through her mind. Someone had died; Bonnie maybe. She had done the spell to send the Hell Fire back to Hell, and Willow was sure that it took a lot of power and magic to do a spell like that. Or Damon maybe. Despite the fact that Willow had never liked Damon very much, she still cared for him and couldn't imagine the pain that Stefan would go through if Damon had died.

Stefan could see the panic in her eyes and immediately began explaining, "Damon was going to sacrifice himself to make sure that Katherine was in Hell when Bonnie did the spell." Stefan began in a shaky voice. "He compelled me to leave, but I had started taking vervain again when I became human." Stefan shook his head, forlorn. "I couldn't let him do it. I couldn't let my brother die, so I gave him my blood."

Willow felt like she had been punched in the gut at this revelation, "But that means..." She shook her head, "No..."

"He's human now, and without the cure in my veins I'd soon be dead."

"No, no, no." Willow stuttered. "Please, don't tell me that..." Her hands grasped her forehead, pulling her hair out of her face. "Stefan, please don't... you can't be..."

"I took his place. I made sure Katherine died." He said to her finally.

"Oh, my god!" She struggled to catch her breath as tears racked her body.

Stefan pulled her back to him, "I'm so sorry, Willow. More than anything I wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. To be happy together."

"You can't be dead. Please." Willow forced herself backwards to look at him. "Don't leave me."

Stefan's face crumbled at her heartbreaking words, bringing his lips to her forehead to kiss her gently. "There's something that I have to say." Stefan whispered, pulling back and bringing his hands to her face, brushing away her tears with his thumb. "And I need you to let me say it because I don't know when I'm gonna see you again.

Willow sniffled, unable to speak she simply nodded her head, causing more tears to fall. "Over the last 153 years, I have been to so many places and met so many different people, but none of them can even compare to you. I have never loved anyone as much as I have loved you, Willow Anderson." He smiled tearfully down at her. "You have made me laugh, cry, drove me insane," He laughed deeply at this, Willow scoffing tearfully at him as he continued, "But I wouldn't change any of it. You have made everything worth it." Stefan took a deep breath, "I want you to live your life. Do whatever you want; travel the world, become the best photographer ever," His smile was painful now as he gazed down at her, "and get married. Just be happy. Promise me, Willow."

Willow took a deep breath, but it did nothing to take away the feeling of absolute heartbreak. "I promise." Willow whispered, because even though it pained her, she would do it all for him.

Stefan pulled her into his chest for one last time, remembering everything about her one last time, Willow doing the same. Stefan pressed his cheek to hers, her soft curls tickling his cheek as he whispered into her ear, "I love you. I will always love you, forever."

"I love you too. Forever."

The two pulled back, Stefan gazing lovingly at her for the last time. Despite it all, Willow forced a smile. "I'll see you, Salvatore."

Stefan found himself chuckling and grinning back at her as he squeezed her hand, "Yeah, I'll see you, Anderson."

Stefan took a step away from her, bringing Willow's hand with him as distance grew between them. With a final squeeze, finger tips brushed, before their connection broke. They kept their gazes lingered on one another, Willow giving him one last beautiful smile before he turned and stepped out the doors into peace.

* * *

 _So nice to meet ya_

 _but now I'll leave ya here_

 ** _Stefan Salvatore_**

 ** _1846 - 2017_**

* * *

 **I want to die. That season finale, man. I didn't expect Stefan to go. I'm not happy at all. Anyway, this is the ending if I followed up to season 8, but I don't plan on doing that. I'm gonna give Stefan the happy ending he deserved. But this was an idea that I've been thinking about since I saw the finale. I'm thinking of adding another chapter where Willow finds peace with Stefan and her family.**

 **(Song recommendation: So Nice To Meet Ya by Hayden Calnin. You have no idea how much this inspired me and made me cry thinking of these two.)**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hold On**_

* * *

It was Damon who found Willow in the school corridor, where Willow first met Stefan...

And where she said goodbye to him...

Willow was on the floor, her back leaning against the lockers. She was staring at the door that Stefan had left through, where he'd find peace. Willow hoped Lexi was there on the other side waiting for him. The two best friends deserved to find peace with eachother.

Damon didn't say anything when he found her. Just by the look of her, he knew that she was aware of Stefan's passing. He watched her, guilt eating away at him as he saw the tear tracks on her cheeks and her glassy eyes telling him that she wasn't done crying yet.

Damon sighed and sat himself down beside her. Neither said anything. Like there was anything to be said anyway.

The heartbreak outweighed any other feeling right then. The agonising pain she felt was just too much to even put into words, and if she was being honest she didn't really want to spout all of her feelings onto her dead boyfriend's brother. Though she gathered he wasn't feeling much different.

Surprisingly, it was Damon who broke the agonising silence, "I'm sorry." His voice was hoarse like he'd been crying too. Willow didn't care enough to look and check.

Willow let out a breath, wiped her eyes on the back of her hand smearing her mascara everywhere. What was she supposed to say to that? Was she supposed to give him a big hug and say 'me too' and then cry on his shoulder? So instead she managed to croak out a broken, "Yeah."

Without another word, Willow stood up, although she almost stumbled back to the floor because her legs felt like jelly. She quickly steadied herself on the lockers, let out a shaky breath, before forcing her legs to move forward towards the door that Stefan had left through.

She didn't spare Damon another glance as she trudged towards the doors and he didn't try and stop her. Just as her fingertips touched the door to push it open she felt fresh tears burn her eyes again. Her head bowed to her chest, a broken sob coming from her.

She knew as soon as she opened these doors, there would be no peace for her.

But with a heavy heart, she used all of her strength to push the door open, the darkness swallowing her whole.

* * *

Caroline had managed to arrange for Stefan's funeral to be for the next day. Willow didn't ask how she managed to do it, or who she had to compel to get everything sorted in such a short amount of time because the truth was that she simply did not care. Maybe she should have but the numbness had set in now and she found it hard to care much about anything, even Stefan's funeral.

There was no body to bury anyway. There was just a tombstone with Stefan's name on it, his year of birth and a simple line that said he was a friend and a brother, and that he was at peace. Caroline had insisted that they put something in that was to do with Willow, but Willow couldn't think of what to put down. Lover? Significant other? Soul mate? No, no and no. Caroline had suggested they put 'Brother - Husband - Friend' since according to the blonde vampire Stefan was going to marry her anyway one day. But Willow ultimately disagreed because at the end of the day she wasn't his wife and he wasn't her husband.

It was only going to be a small service, only consisting of the small group that had been through everything together; Willow, Raven, Caroline, Bonnie, Matt, Alaric, Jeremy and Damon. Willow imagined it wouldn't go unnoticed by people that Stefan wasn't around town anymore and they'd never know that Stefan had died saving their lives. To Willow, it just didn't seem worth it. And maybe that was selfish of her to feel like Stefan's life meant more than a few thousand but she couldn't help it.

The first thing that Willow did once she got to the cemetery for Stefan's funeral was to go into the Salvatore family crypt where Stefan's tombstone was. She had made it clear to Caroline and Raven that she didn't want to be disturbed for a moment, knowing that they would give her the time that she needed right now.

Willow shivered as she went inside the crypt, closing her eyes as she stood before Stefan's name.

 ** _Stefan Salvatore_**

 ** _Brother - Friend_**

 ** _Born 1846_**

 ** _Found Peace_**

Willow pinched her eyes shut for a second as she felt the sting of tears in her eyes. It had become a familiar feeling in the last twenty-four hours. Willow opened her mouth to say something except nothing but a shuddering breath escaped her lips. Her throat felt tight, her mouth dry. She could feel the beginnings of a sob coming on. "What the hell am I supposed to say?" Willow practically whispered, unable to force her voice to go any louder. "What do you say to someone who's dead?" She shook her head, not caring when the tears finally fell.

Willow thought that she'd just cry and go on about how heartbroken she was, talk about how amazing Stefan was for saving her and everyone else. Say that she was proud of him. But she didn't. Instead, Willow felt a black fog come over, smothering her in anger and frustration. "Fuck you, Stefan." She breathed out in a broken whisper. "How could you do this?" She placed her hands over her eyes, her tears burning her eyes. "Why did you have to go and be the hero? Couldn't you for once just be selfish?" Willow rubbed her eyes. She couldn't stop the onslaught of questions. Questions that she knew would never be answered. "Did you even think about me? About us?"

Willow removed her hands from her face, now feeling like she couldn't breathe and that her legs were going to give out on her. She found herself leaning her hands on his tombstone, her head bowed downwards, her shoulders rigid as she tried to stop the never ending tears. "I hate you." Willow murmured, the anger leaving her for now. Willow inhaled deeply, using one hand to wipe her eyes and nose as she sniffled. She looked back up, eyes finding his name. She sighed deeply. "I love you. And I forgive you."

Willow brought her fingertips to her lips, kissing them lightly before placing them over Stefan's name. "I love you." She repeated brokenly. Taking a deep breath, she pulled her hand away, albeit reluctantly, and turned to make her way out of the Salvatore crypt. Just as she took her first few steps to leave a light breeze flew in, rustling her hair and causing her to gasp. The breeze was warm, comforting almost. Willow shook her head, the beginning of a smile breaking through the tears as she looked back to Stefan's tombstone. "See you in the next life, Salvatore."

* * *

 _Hold on, I still want you_

 _Come back, I still need you_

* * *

 **The second part of this short story. I know it's, taken ages, and I'm sorry about that but so much has been going on lately and I've had no time or inspiration to write. (I'm also really sorry for not updating 'Me, Myself and I'. I will get back into it soon, and I think this short story is a good way to do it actually.)I was originally going to add more to this chapter, including Willow's life after all of this but it was getting insanely long. I now think this will be around 5 or 6 chapters long due to the fact that I have another idea continuing on from the idea of this.**

 **Thank you to everyone who reviewed. Hopefully I'll get back into finishing the original story soon. (And I'm sorry I made you cry)**

 **Songs I highly recommend for this chapter: What About Us by P!nk**

 **Feels Like The End by Mikky Ekko**

 **How To Save a Life (The Fray Cover) by Nilu**

 **Hold On by Chord Overstreet (had to include the song from the episode. yes they fucked everything else up but this song was the only good decision they made since season 3)**

 **Taxi Cab by Twenty One Pilots**

 **Signs by Bloc Party**

 **All Is Well (Goodbye, Goodbye) by Radical Face**


End file.
